Pneumatic suspension for vehicles.



C. A. ERICKSON. UMATIG SUSPENSON POR VEHICLES. Arrmomlon ULEB JAN.zo,1911.

Patented July 21, 1914.

w11 ne ooe/o i@ @una C. A. ERICKSON.

PMUMATIG SUSPENSION Fon VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.20, 1911.

Patented July 21, 191'4.

3 SHEETS-'BEBE 2.

C. A. ERICKSON. PNEUMATIG sUsrENsloN POR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION YILEDJAN.20,1911.

l Patented July 21, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

CHARLES A. EICKSON, OF PLAT'LSBURG.,. NEW YBK.

PNEUMATIC SUSPENSION FOB VEHICLES.

To all 'whom it may G01/,cern

ABe it known that I, CHARLES A. ERICK- soisya citizen of the UnitedStates, residing i at Plattsburg, in the county of Clinton and State ofNew: York, have invented certain new and: useful Im rovements'inPneumatic Suspension for Ve icles, of which the following is aspecification.

The primary object of this invention is to rovide means. whereby thebody of a veiiicle or a load of any kind may be supported by air orother fluid under compressionA in such manner as to relieve the shocksand strains .incident to travel and use, and to avoid the necessity forusing pneumatic tires, springs, or similar devices.

A further object of the invention is to .provide means whereby theWeight imposed upon any particular oint of support may be properlyequalized) between all of the several points of support for the body ofthe vehicle or the load in order that undue compressionmay be preventedupon the fluid at any .one point.

-The various other objects of theinvention 'will be more fully set forthin the following description of one form of mechanism embodying myinvention, which consists in the new and novel features of constructionand combinations of partsl hereinafter set forth and'- claimed.

In the accompanying drawings z-Fignre 1 represents a planI view of thesupporting frame of a vehicle embodying my improvements, shown partly insection. vFig; 2 is a side'elevation showing one of thc supportingmembers in section. Fig. 3 is an end view of the. front axle having thesupportingjrame thereon, shown partly in section. Fig. 4'is a similarview of the rear axle.l Fig. 5jis a front view of the supportingr frameand equalizing device. Fig. 6 represents a plan view4 of the same. Figs.7 and 8 are detail views showing the springmembers an'd means forattaching the same.

The running `gear of the vehicle comprises the front axlel, the rearaxle 2 and the wheels 3, which .may be'of any preferred construction.Secured to the front and rear axle near the ends thereof, in suitableposition with relation to the frame or body (not shown) of the vehicle,are the four relatively stationary members of the suspension mechanismcomprising the barrels or pistons 4 which are preferably pivoted 'to theaxles by pivot bolts 5 that pass throgh and are Specification of LettersPatent.

Application led January 20, 1911.

Patented July 21, 1914..

Serial No` 608,768.

vsecured in brackets or collars 6. The relatively mo-vable member of thesuspension mechanism comprises tubular side pieces 7 and end piecesr 8o! an approximately reed 60 3 tangular frame operating as, orcorrespond#- ing in a general way. with, the frame or' :chassis of thevehicle and also comprising gplungers. or cylinders 9' located at therespecti-ve corners of the frame, which engage 65 'with and slide uponthe relatively station- 'ary members 4. Com-municatioia isestabl'isliedi between the interior of the frame and the barrels orcylinders by a passage 110,

which may be formed i-n the Wall of the' 70 plunger. A suitable valve orcoc'k 1l is' pro'- vided, which permits compressed air or other fi-uidunder pressure to be introduced' into the frame, and consequently intothe chainber or space between the barrel and pl'lm- 75 ger. Packingrings 12 are arranged on the barrel, which prevent the escape' of thefluid fromsa-id compression chamber.

Ijn order to maintain the com-pression of the air or lnidpraeticallyconstant, one of eo the parts of the frame, for example one of the sidepieces 7 isdivided from the' other portion of the frame by means of theone; way valves 14, 14 the' valve 14 bei-ng an.

inlet valve, which permits the fluidto enter the central space and theother valve, as

14- providing :m1 outlet therefrom. The' valve 14 isso regulated by anysuitablev means that it will not permit they Huid to pass until it hasreachedA a pre-deter'naa'.nel 9o pressure, which is above the norma/lpres sure ofthe system, and .the valve M" is sox adj-usted that it willnot permit the fluid to' escape until the pressure in the rest of thesystem has fallen below the predeterininedl ab normal pressure.'Wheneven thereilore, by' reason of inequalities in the load or forothemi reasons, the fluid becomes compressed abovea certain limit, asmallquantity therco will he Aadmitted into `thepressure p'crtionfioeoli the system, which will become available in case the pressure fallsbelow the prede#- termined limit.

In order to compensate for unequal and improper load-ing of thevehicle', which'lt would tend to put ank excess weight upon,

one side o r one end of the Vehicle, an equalizmg device is providedwhichI comprises arms 16 depending,` from the frame ator' near 0 positecorners thereof, and theV bell' )1:

crank evers L7 ulcrumed on said :111m A and heving one encl m18'pivcted' te a" bracket or"- [collar 19 secured toathe axlee The reeend204y of cach bell crank iever is connected b a rod 21 to the end of thearm 16 depen ingl from the opposite corner, of the vehicle.

Said rods 21 are dagonai'y respect' to each otherland-@eh como flexibleor tension me whn my 136 of any preferred 'eferable .'however, thetnionfgznxiiber compf sleeve ft-s'eurcdto-cne pauteths rod -21 andcontainingl a -hinge; 25 i tly togtlie end' .of the gell' crank. -Aispait@ Je hollow frame byeny suitable means as al pump (not shown); 'Thisiluid enters the compression space between the head o f the cylinder andthe end of the piston, and .forms a cushion upon which the frame rests.The necessary ilexion othe frame is oh" tained by the swivel connectionbetween the barrel and the axle, but an pronounced lait,` bythe long conso eral movement is proven meting-surfaces between the barrel and theplunger. The pressure-'is maintained approximately constantby thereserve Huid which is maintained at a pressure above non mal, and which:automatically feeds enough fluid tothe system to maintain the ressureapproximatel constant in spite of calm e. In'the case o impro er loadinthe equalizing device will ten to hold t e vehicle in its horizontal orapproximately horizontal position.v By means of this construction theuse of springs, pneumatic tires and similar resilient devices maybeentirely dispensed with, as thejars and shocks caused by traveh 45 inover e rough surface such as is provied by ordinary roads, will beabsorbed and taken up by air cushions formed between the relativelystationary and the relatively movable parts of the suspension mechanism.Consequently the principal items of expense in the 11p-keep of anautomobile or similar self-pro lled vehicle are eliminated. The partscan e easily constructed and no special equipment of any kind isnecessary, since, in :case 'of excessive leakage, a fresh supply of aircan be forced `into the frame by mea-ns ofthe ordinary air pump suchasis employed at the present time to inflate the pneumatic tires which arecommonly used. @o Although I have described in detail one v form ofvmechanism embodying my inven tion, it will be obvious that variouschanges within the shin of the mechanic may 'ne made in the constructionherein shown and described without departing from the spirit uslize any.i e' Sides of I he Orewtwnfoflnedevve e@ .erfe- 1/Other fluid underpressure lis supplied w the ofthe invention,` rovided the mea-ns serforth in the following ciainis'be employed. I claim as'my invention 1.In a pneumatic suspension for vehicles the combination with a runninggear, of a .plurality of relatively stationary members pvoted to' seidrunning gear, a relatively movahie -mernber mounteupon said stationarymembers com rising a hoilow frame containing a fluid nn ercompressionanda 75 it of plunger-s engging with seid reistive y stationery .memrs-to form conpression chambers and s e: formed in the wail of eachplunger or 'supplying fluid under pressure to said chambers from the 8oframe and means for su pressure to said frame.l 4 24111 s pneumaticsuspension for vehicles the combination with the running geur, of aplurality .ci pistons having a long contacting' 35 surface secured toseid running gear, a hollow frame movable on said istons and forming acompression chamber tween 'the same et the end of each piston, means forsupplying fluid under pressure tossid frame and chumhers, and valves insaid frame spaced apart to form a compartment to ref? ceive uid havingrelativeiy higher pressure than the fluid in the other art of theframe.'

3. In a vehicle thecom inetion with the running gear body provided witha hol low frame .ajording an sir chamber, of means for supporting thebody upon thel running gear comprisingv a' 'pair of members pivoterunning gear to Swingin the same plane, a l pair o members' securedtothe frame and telescoping with the first pair to form air `cushionsupports havin communication pplying duid under levers movablesuhsteirtiallyv in the swinging plane of the members and fulcrumed tothe body and each lever having' one arm pivot ally conncetedtc therunning gear and s pair of crossed members 'formed in sections '11.0each member connecting the other arm o one of the levers lwith the bodyet a point near the opposite lever and s prmgs for connestingthesections to yieldingly opposethe sist the swinging ofthe telescepingmem-f v bers and the recoil thereof when cexnf 1 "pressed l I 4. lnevicle the combination with the L 'i running gear and bed of; a pair ofpneu'- 129 matic supports ivote y secured in spaced. relation upon t erunning geur ,to ada tthem to swing in the seine plane and rigidly vsecured to the body to aord. resilient suporting means therefor, aretardin"`fiue$lns.'35 including a 'bracket rigidly secure to the bodywithin the space between the sup orte', u lever ulcrurned to the bracketundp pivotally secured by one of its arms to the run .ning gear, emember formed in sections con- 136 y securedin spaced relation upon thewith the sir chamber of t e body, a pair of 10o4 lengthening of saidmembers to thereby re 115' meeting the other `:um of the lever with thebwy at, a point` spaced from said bracket, und a spring engaged by saidsections to 'yeldingly oppose the lengthening of said members m thorbyrest the swinging 0f said pneunmtc supports und recoil thereof whenccmlpressed.

This spefvaton sgnud and wtncssed this 10th day of January, A. D. 1911.

CHARLES A, IRICKSON.

Signed in the presume of-m HHLEN M. DAMES, A Mimosa L. ()"S11E.\

